


Mothers of the Groom

by Eissel



Series: Moms Made Fullmetal Week 2020 [2]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: (only a little this time I swear), 5+1 Things, Angst and Tragedy, Car Accidents, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Firsts, Gen, Gen Work, Growing Up, Inspired by Poetry, Minor Character Death, Moms Made Fullmetal 2020, Original Character(s), POV Minor Character, Prompt Fill, Wedding Rings, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:15:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24374125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eissel/pseuds/Eissel
Summary: Snapshots of Roy’s life, through his mothers’ eyes.
Relationships: Chris "Madam Christmas" Mustang & Roy Mustang, Riza hawkeye/roy mustang (background)
Series: Moms Made Fullmetal Week 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1758514
Comments: 5
Kudos: 47
Collections: Moms Made Fullmetal Week 2020





	Mothers of the Groom

**Author's Note:**

> Is it a good idea to commit myself to what is basically a double challenge for no reason? Probably not, but meh. 
> 
> Day 2: _**Growth**_ or School or _**First Steps**_  
>  Poem(s): _Mother of the Groom_ \+ _Mother of People Without Script_

i. _Síu_ _ Sīng Sīng _

“Xia” Soeng Wai Lam could only muster up a glare for her “dear” husband as he flitted around her, taking pictures with his new camera. Or at least, that was what she assumed it was called, as much as she prided herself on learning Amestrian as quickly as she did, she sometimes couldn’t keep up with all the new words (especially the compound ones) Amestrians liked to invent, seemingly on the daily judging by her husband.

“Daniel, could you stop now?” She asked, steel underlying her tone. 

“But  _ Wai Lam _ , he’s just so cute! I just  _ have  _ to get all these pictures and send them to Chris!”

“Chris won’t have time to look at… approximately 200 pictures of a sleeping baby boy.” Her glare melted a little. “Even if he is extremely cute.”

“Chris is a huge softy Wai Lam.” Daniel smiled, to which she had to wonder if her husband was simply just baby addled or if he had truly lost his mind. There was, in no universe, a way that Chris Mustang could be called “a softy.” 

“It’s still 200 pictures of a baby doing nothing much interesting, forgive me if I doubt a little.” She huffed, stroking the top of her baby’s head. Already she could tell he’d be a heartbreaker once he grew up. He had his father’s grin and long, pianist-like fingers, and her complexion and hair. He blinked his eyes open, and his chubby hands swiped at her fingers, opening and closing around them.

“The doctor says that it’s good that he’s showing all the normal reflexes.” Daniel said in a soft voice. She gave him a glare for that comment. “...Don’t give me that look Wai Lam. I’m just worried is all. The birth was hard on you… and on him.”

“He’ll grow up just fine, he’s of Soeng and Mustang stock, is he not?” She asked imperiously. Daniel laughed. 

“When you’re right, you’re right I suppose.” He set down his camera and prodded the silent baby in the stomach, producing a small wail, which quickly made the boy dissolve into tears. Batting her husband away with her free hand, Wai Lam tried to hush the crying boy. 

“See what you’ve done?” She hissed. “ _ Men. _ ” She scoffed, making a half turn to conceal the baby from his father. 

“Wai Lam, don’t be like that.” Daniel’s mouth said that he was trying for a joking sort of tone, but his eyes betrayed his true sadness at having upset his wife and child. 

“You’re so indelicate.” She said, swatting his hand away once more. “Babies require a softer touch, one you don’t have.”

“On account of my gender, or is that just a trait I don’t have?” He asked sarcastically. 

“Watch.” She settled the baby, wrapped in a swathe of blankets, in her lap, and she offered her finger to the crying boy. “Settle down bē bē, it’s not good to wail so loudly.” As he latched on to her finger, she maneuvered her other hand to caress his head, and she started to  [ sing ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU4QH2yUXxM) .

As she finished singing her third rendition of the rhyme, Daniel gave her a round of applause, though he made sure to keep his claps quiet as he saw that their baby was settling down and apparently ready to slip back into sleep. 

“You were very good Wai Lam.” He smiled, planting a kiss on her forehead. “I can see why you’d say I don’t have that ‘gentle touch’ he teased.”

“Brute.” She huffed, but it was all in good fun. “Now, little Roy needs to rest, he’ll have a big day tomorrow.”

“Big day?”

“We’re taking him to see Chris, aren’t we?” Daniel gaped at her, but nodded dumbly. “Yeah, yeah sure.”

* * *

ii.  _ First and Lasts _

Wai Lam remembered seeing her baby walk for the first time. 

“Come to papa!” Daniel coaxed from the door, holding his hands out impatiently. She had to stifle a giggle at the sight. Her husband was acting a little  _ desperate  _ since both Wai Lam and Chris had inadvertently stolen most of Roy’s “firsts”. 

His first words had been taken by Wai Lam… 

_ “Màh mā!” The young baby had squealed, much to the delight of his laughing mother and his shocked, but no less pleased father.  _

His first kiss had been taken by Chris… 

_ “Hello little brat.” Chris had greeted, lifting Roy out of Wai Lam’s arms. The baby had giggled and proceeded to plant a wet, sloppy kiss on Chris’ cheek, probably trying to emulate his father, who had greeted Chris with a (granted  _ **_far less_ ** _ sloppy) kiss.  _

_ Chris had stood there, stunned, the baby in her arms flopping his arms around with a big smile on his face. Her girls were similarly dumbstruck, but that was probably due to Chris’ shut down of all rational thought and function being attributed to a  _ **_baby_ ** _ instead of say… A particularly handsome man. _

_ Daniel, by her side, had just looked at his older sister in betrayal. _

_ Wai Lam had just laughed. _

The date he had first crawled had been when he was off at work,  _ and  _ had been witnessed by Wai Lam  _ and  _ Chris, which seemed to serve as a double blow to his pride… 

“ _ Daniel, your brat will soon be able to outpace you on your morning jog. _ ”  _ Chris had teased from her position on the couch as she saw Daniel enter.  _

_ “What do you mean?” _

_ “Well, the little troublemaker managed to crawl all the way across the room today. Xia and I saw the whole thing. Even took pictures. You should be proud.”  _

_ Daniel had just muffled his sounds of despair in his hands.  _

So now he was determined to be the witness to Roy’s first steps. Wai Lam simply let her husband do as he pleased while she contented herself with a book on the couch. She’d had less time for her favorite pastime as of late, so she wanted to get in as much reading time as she could, since it wasn’t too far off now that she would have to start a new job as Roy was getting ready for school. 

“Come on little man, your papa’s right here!” Daniel wheedled. The young boy babbled happily, and banged his little fists against the table top. “Come here…” Wai Lam rolled her eyes at the noise. 

Glancing over top her book, the young Xingese woman saw her baby boy toddle his way past the table, banging into it a little as he did so. She’d put Daniel through his paces if the poor boy was bruised in any way after this. Daniel made a little sound of excitement as Roy let go of the table and stood, (unsteadily mind you, but he  _ was  _ standing) in the middle of the room. “This way baby!” Roy took a step forwards, seemingly aiming for Daniel, and Wai Lam put her attention back on the book.

Then Daniel let out a groan of frustration, and she put the book down.

Only to be met with shining black-blue eyes. 

“Bē bē!” She happily exclaimed, and picked the boy up, which rewarded her with a sloppy kiss. Smiling, she walked over to her husband’s despondent form and deposited the child into his arms. “Maybe next time honey.”

“Well, I still saw his first steps.”

“Yes, so that’s progress.”

* * *

Wai Lam could barely see. Blood was streaking down her face, and everything was blurry, not in that way things got blurry when she had gotten a bit too deep into the cups, but in that way when her body was screaming at her, telling her that something was wrong. 

“D-Dan?” She called out. Her voice was so feeble, it scared her. This whole situation scared her. She forced herself off of the seat and stared down into  _ scared  _ blue-black eyes. 

“M-Mom?” Oh. “Wh-What happened? Is dad okay?” Her hands automatically caressed his head, but she didn’t draw him in close. 

“I’m checking right now.” She forced herself to move, something that felt  _ so so  _ difficult. Her eyes glanced over at Daniel, and she regretted it. Daniel’s body was curled around the wheel of the car, his glasses had been thrown off his face, and his eyes were dark and unseeing. Wai Lam choked back a scream.

“Mom?” Roy’s voice was a little steadier now, but she refused to let him see his father. He’d be scarred for life if he saw. “Is he okay?”

“No baby.” But she knew better than to lie to him. “He’s not.” Pain lanced through her as she tried moving again, and judging by the position, she’d had her side torn open. “Baby, look at me.” When Roy’s eyes found hers, she reached over to squeeze his hand. “Baby, I want you to get out of the car.”

“But I can’-”

“Kin Hei,  _ get out of the car.  _ I want you to find Aunt Chris, and take her here. If you can’t find Aunt Chris, find a policeman.” She hoped he could find Chris, the MPs in this area didn’t take kindly to foreigners, and Roy mostly took after her in looks.

Roy looked at her, and she saw fear, she saw sadness, she saw uncertainty… But she also saw resolve. 

Wai Lam smiled, and pressed a kiss to her child’s face. Her vision was going black at the corners, she wouldn’t last too long now. “Go. Be safe. I love you.” 

“I love you too mom. And I love dad too. I love both of you.” Roy hesitated, but he squirmed out of the car, and the last thing Wai Lam heard of him was his little footsteps running down the pavement. 

She sighed in relief. Her baby boy was safe. 

That was all that mattered.

As an alkahestrist, Wai Lam knew her body intimately, she knew what the normal rush and flow of her blood felt like, she knew the amount of times her heart normally beat within a minute. So she knew of course, when she had passed the point where no medical intervention could save her.

“ _ I love you. _ ”

Well, those weren’t half bad words to die by. 

With that thought, “Xia” Soeng Wai Lam closed her eyes for the last time.

* * *

iii. Caretaker

Chris had never imagined being a mother. Even when she was a little girl, her head had been filled with daydreams about owning a store or becoming someone worthy of note. She had never spared a thought to motherhood.

Even when it came to her girls, she wouldn’t exactly call herself a mother. But yet, here was the boy, her nephew, on her doorstep, hand entwined in her own, head bowed. 

She was a mother. Or at least, she had taken up the role of one. 

“Would you like some tea?” She asked, trying to make her voice as soft as possible. He shook his head no. “Alright. Do you want to take a bath?” The boy froze for a second, then nodded. She let go of his hand, a quick, “Vanessa, show him to the bathroom, please.” and he was gone. 

She stopped herself from making the obvious comparison. 

Instead, she sat down on the parlour couch, staring straight ahead. It still all felt so surreal. A  _ mother  _ she had to be a mother to this boy now. She just  _ couldn’t.  _ She wasn’t cut out for motherhood! 

Her own mother was, Wai Lam was, but not her. 

She glanced guiltily up at the stairs where she knew Vanessa had taken Roy up. The boy deserved much better than her, but she couldn’t give him any more than she already had. Maybe in a different life, where Chris didn’t have the girls and the bar, then  _ maybe _ , but in this life? 

No. She just didn’t have the room in her heart for more than that. She could play the role of the stern caregiver, but she couldn’t be a mother. 

Chris hoped that Roy could settle for that.

* * *

iv. Title

“Won’t you be there?” He had grown up well, Chris decided. A heartbreaker to the core, yes. A man who had done horrible things, yes. Too arrogant for his own good at times,  _ yes.  _

But she looked into blue-black eyes and figured that Wai Lam and Daniel would have been happy with the man he had turned out to be. 

“Of course I will Roy-boy-” he scowled at the hated nickname, which only made Chris grin- “I wouldn’t miss your wedding for the world. Especially since it means that you’ve finally wisened up enough to take the young Miss Hawkeye before anyone else snatched her up.” Roy squawked.

“One, she’s not a  _ thing. _ ” He emphasized. “And  _ two,  _ it’s not like we didn’t know that we loved each other, we just couldn’t marry befor-”

“Please save me the excuses Roy-boy. I’ve heard them all throughout the years.” The boy-no, man- in front of her sputtered and turned a dark red. 

“A-Anyways. I… I just thought you wouldn’t have wanted to come.”

“Why’s that Roy-boy?” And if said some stupid reason like “ _I thought you’d be too busy with the bar_ ”, she had a handy amount of experience with disciplining the man sat down before her. 

“You… You always seemed uncomfortable with being thought of as my mother.” He said honestly, and Chris couldn’t help herself.

She stared. 

“Oh.” She said after a while of silence. “That’s why.” Roy nodded, turning his face away from her. “Well… I won’t lie Roy-boy, for a while, I was uncomfortable. It felt like I was stealing something from her. Your mother that is.” 

“I knew it.”

“Perceptive brat.” She growled out, but it held no real heat. “Still, over time… I won’t say those feelings vanished entirely, but I know I have my own place in your life. And I’m sure Wai Lam wouldn’t begrudge me for raising her síu tòuh héi.”

“Síu tòuh hei.” He corrected, and Chris bopped him on the head for it. “ _ Ow.  _ That hurt.” He whined.

“As though you haven’t had worse.” She said gruffly. “Still, thank you for the invitation Roy.”

“It’s no problem Aunt Chris.” He smiled brightly, and Chris gave him an indulgent smile back.

* * *

v. Pride

Chris drank from the flute of champagne sparingly throughout the reception. While it was of a low alcohol content, and she wouldn’t get drunk off of it, Chris Mustang was a woman of class, and she wasn’t about to look like some two-bit jezebel. 

It was a lovely wedding, she could say that much. While the two-to-be-married hadn’t exactly  _ splurged _ on the venue (not that many places could exactly bankrupt them, let alone leave significant dents in their finances, the military _ was _ after all, good for one thing: high payouts), they had still put effort into decorating the place, and it showed. It was a wedding Wai Lam would have been proud of.

Chris was seated near the front, and as such, as the music played signalling that the bride was about to make her way down the aisle, she got up quickly to make sure that she was able to actually  _ see  _ the young Captain before everyone else behind her blocked her view.

Riza was radiant as she walked, head high, adorned with a silver crown atop her blonde locks, carrying a predominantly red bouquet. She’d bet an easy 1000 cenz that Roy was as red as a tomato right now. 

The young bride walked alone down the aisle, the only thing littering her path being the flower petals from the young daughter of Maes Hughes- Elicia, Chris thought her name was- scattered on the carpet.

Chris turned slightly to see the couple meet at the altar and say their vows. Riza had turned just as red as Roy had earlier as they drew closer. 

As Roy turned to kiss the bride, Chris felt a surge of pride fill her. 

Roy was her own child too after all. 

_ Yes _ , she thought.  _ He’s grown up well. _

* * *

\+ 1. The Groom and His Mothers

“What’s this?” Riza asked, picking off the pin he had pinned to his tuxedo. 

“Oh that’s a jade pin. I put it on in honor of my mother. Er- not Chris.”

“Your birth mom you mean.” He nodded. 

“Her name, part of it means beautiful jade. So, the pin.” Riza nodded, and placed the pin down on the table with reverence. 

“It’s a lovely tribute.” A look of confusion crossed her face. “But why didn’t you do anything for Madame Christmas?” He chuckled. 

“You should check her hands out one day, you might find a surprise there.” 

“If you say so.” She said. Roy’s arms encircled her, and Riza smiled, leaning into the kiss he placed on her forehead.

* * *

A few days later, Riza took a trip to the bar without Roy, deciding to act on his statement from earlier.

“Riza!” Vanessa greeted excitedly. “It’s good to see you!” Riza smiled, she’d made good friends with Roy’s “sisters” over the years. 

“And you. Do you if the Madame is in?” 

“You can call her Chris you know Riza.” She shrugged. 

“It feels more respectful to refer to her as Madame.” Vanessa shrugged. 

“Whatever makes you happy I guess.” As she walked to the back, Riza took a seat at the bar. It was remarkably empty, though that probably was because it was so early in the morning. No self-respecting person would be in here at this time of day. At least… If they weren’t there for the other services the bar  _ cum  _ brothel offered.

“So what brings you out to this seedy establishment Ms. Mustang?”

“Hawkeye actually, we decided to not change last names.”

“I see.” Chris said. “But don’t dodge the question, what brings you out here? And while we’re at it, would you like a drink? On the house.”

“A G&T with lime if you please.” Chris nodded and threw an expectant look at one of the girls, this one unfamiliar to Riza. “She’s new.”

“New, but she’s doing well. Might ask you to bring Roy-boy over here to introduce him to his new sister.”

“I’ll write a date down. But what brings me here today is something Roy mentioned a couple days ago…A-After...” Riza flushed darkly and went silent. 

“No shame in speaking of it.” Chris said wryly. “But what did that troublesome brat say this time?” Riza glanced down at Chris’ hands. On her ring finger, sparkling in the sunlight was a simple ring, a gold band with two black gems set in the sides. The main stone was a clear gem Riza couldn’t identify, but she had a hunch on what it was. 

“He mentioned that you helped in picking out our rings. I wanted to thank you.”

“Roy-boy would’ve done fine on his own, he was just self-conscious about his final selection.” Chris dismissed.

“He alluded that his, was modeled off of yours.” Riza stated bluntly. 

“...Roy-boy is quite sentimental.” Chris said, which all but confirmed her suspicions. 

“The gem in your ring, it’s white sapphire, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Chris sighed. “It was the first jewelry piece he ever got me.” Her eyes softened. “Troublesome brat.”

Riza thought of Roy’s obsidian band, the subtle white sapphire insets that contrasted with the black star sapphire insets in her ring. 

“He is very troublesome.” She agreed. “Thank you for indulging me for a while. We’ll come over soon.” With that said, Riza took her leave.

**Author's Note:**

> Why did I name this Mothers of the Groom when the wedding literally takes up like 2% of the fic? Wish I knew.
> 
> Anyways, fun fact, I couldn't make up my mind on if the Wai in "Wai Lam" should be Wai3 or Wai6, so I flipped a coin to decide!
> 
> Cantonese:
> 
> Síu Sīng Sīng: Little Star, Cantonese title for "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"
> 
> Soeng Wai Lam : Soeng1 - hot water (湯), Wai3 - console/comfort, Lam4 - beautiful jade
> 
> bē bē: bi1 bi1 - baby (啤啤)
> 
> Kin Hei : Kin4 - pious (虔), Hei1 - sunlight (曦)
> 
> Síu tòuh héi: siu2 tou4 hei2 - Little Pick-up (小淘起)
> 
> Síu tòuh hei: siu2 tou4 hei3 - brat (小淘氣)


End file.
